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GFWC Signature Program

Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness

December 2020

Chairman: Jan Allen

Intimate Partner Violence: Darlene Adams

Child Abuse: Tina Smith

Teen Dating: Trisha Schafer

Campus Sexual Assault: Pam Briggs

Elder Abuse: Karen Kaler

Violence Against Native American Women: Jan Allen

Military Sexual Abuse: Carla Pyle

Human Trafficking: Lucinda Martinez

Focus Topic: Human Trafficking for Sexual Purposes

by Lucinda Martinez

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. This is a good time to plan a program for your club’s members to become more informed about Human Trafficking for Sexual Purposes. Polaris has been tracking the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the survivors and victims of sexual and labor trafficking. Their April 2020 report indicated more than a 40% increase in crisis trafficking situations (where shelter, transportation, or law enforcement is needed within 24 hours) attributed to sheltering in place. Those needing immediate emergency shelter rose from 29 to 54 – nearly doubling. It is expected that extended stay at home related pandemic instances continue to escalate crisis trafficking situations.

The report noted that housing insecurity is the leading indicator of human trafficking vulnerability, and suggested policy changes to delay evictions, assist in mortgage and rent relief and utility payments, and to help increase temporary housing. Resources are needed at the local, state, and federal levels to provide food, shelter, transportation, medical and behavioral health treatments and medication, as well as to operate the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline 1 (888) 373-7888.

What GFWC Members Can Do Today

Join the GFWC Legislative Action Center at and Take Action on the GFWC Legislative Alert: Protect Funding for Victims of Crime. Contact your Senators and Representatives immediately. The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) provides federal funding grants that enable local organizations serving survivors of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, trafficking, and other crimes to provide counseling, case management, crisis hotlines, emergency shelters, and other community-based programs. Congress is finalizing its FY2021 Appropriations Bills and substantial funding cuts to VOCA are being considered, as well as the wording to fix the formula and stabilize the Crime Victims Fund. Congress must bolster the Crime Victims Fund by ensuring federal financial penalties from deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements are deposited into the Crime Victims Fund and used to serve victims of crime.

Sign up and take the Pledge to Fight Trafficking at

Dispel the Myths About Child Trafficking at

Information from Other Impact Areas:

Intimate Partner Violence:

There are many reasons a victim may not leave their abuser – economic issues, children, but pets? Victims fear the abuser may increase the abuse to even death if they are left. Pets are used as pawns. According to Animal Welfare Institute, between 18-48% of battered women delay leaving a dangerous situation out of concern for their pets’ safety, and from 49-71% reported that their pets had been threatened, harmed, or killed by their partners. Victims prefer to take their pets with them, but unfortunately many shelters cannot accept pets. There may be other options, such as a foster home, or a humane society may offer kennel space.

RedRover offers grants to assist in temporary boarding or veterinary care. They have also partnered with Purina to create the “Purple Leash Project” that provides grants to shelters that would like to accept both survivors and their pets. Find out how your club can support these efforts.

(Resource: and )

Child Abuse:

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood. Understanding them can increase our knowledge about the impact on victims. ACEs include things like:

• experiencing violence or abuse

• witnessing violence

• having a family member attempt or die by suicide

ACEs also include aspects of the environment like growing up in a household with:

• substance misuse

• mental health problems

• instability due to parental separation or household members being in jail or prison

How can you help as a friend or volunteer? Offer to babysit, make a meal, or drive a parent or child where they need to go. We can all recognize challenges that families face and offer support and encouragement to reduce stress.

• Let people know that violence is unacceptable and steps will be taken to protect the victim of violence.

• Encourage people to stand up and speak up, if they can safely do so, when a person is being harassed or hurt or needs support.

Teen Dating:

Teen dating violence can take many forms and is a very difficult thing for young people to be faced with. Helping teens develop healthy relationships is on of the keys to preventing it. The Signature Program’s Challenge Project is aimed at doing jst that. Watch for details about the Challenge Project in the upcoming Spring issue of the GFWC Clubwoman magazine.

Campus Sexual Assault:

An estimated 50% of college students use online dating. Taking precautions with online dating is just as important as taking precautions with dating in person. Online dating violence is any verbal, emotional, digital or financial abuse through the use of technology. 60% of females, 18-34 years old, who use dating apps or websites have reported continued unwanted contact after telling the person they were not interested. 57% reported being sent sexually explicit messages or images they did not ask for. Here are some safety tips for online dating and the transition to real life meetings:

• Only text/communicate within the dating app

• Don’t give out your phone number or personal information

• Keep your Facebook profile private / don’t link social accounts

• Check them out. Do a Google search

• Skype or video chat so you can see them

When setting up your first few in person meetings:

• Meet and stay in public

• Be in control of your transportation

• Let someone know your plans

• Take a friend if you feel unsure

• Carry pepper spray

• Stay sober

• Turn off geolocation on your phone so you can’t be tracked

Elder Abuse:

As seniors grow older, they will become more physically & mentally frail. Because of this, they’re less able to stand up to bullying and/or fight back if attacked by other people. Many people with ill intentions know this, and thus, have carried out abuse or elaborate fraud schemes targeting seniors.

Abuse of elders or seniors takes many different forms with some involving neglect, some involves financial deception, and other involving intimidation or threats against the senior.

Emotional or Psychological Abuse: This kind of abuse happens when people speak to or treat elderly people in ways that result in emotional pain or distress for the Senior.

Verbal forms of emotional elder abuse can take the form of:

• Intimidation through yelling or threats

• Humiliation & ridicule

• Habitual blaming or scapegoating

Nonverbal psychological elder abuse include:

• Ignoring the Senior

• Isolating the Senior from friends or activities

• Terrorizing or menacing the Senior

Violence Against Native American Women:

According to the National Institute of Justice, there are five things we need to know about Violence Against Native American Women:

1. Four out of five Native Americans (that’s 83%) have experienced psychological aggression or physical violence by intimate partners, stalking or sexual violence.

2. Men and women are victimized at similar rates, women at 84.3% and men at 81.6%, but in different ways. Women have experienced higher rates of sexual violence – 56.1% as opposed to men at 27.5%

3. Victimization rates are 1.2 times higher for Native American women than for White women.

4. Native American women victims are more likely to need services, but they are less likely to have access to those services. The services that are most needed are medical care and legal services.

5. For Native American women and men, interracial violence is more prevalent than intraracial violence.

What can you do? Please go to the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women website at and make a donation. The website allows you to choose how you want your donation used…. services, education, etc.

Military Sexual Abuse:

Since the Covid 19 outbreak there has been an increase in Domestic Violence everywhere and certainly within the Military we can expect the same thing. GFWC clubs in your county, region or state could compile a list of all the resources and create small cards that can be distributed through local pharmacy’s, stores, and doctor’s offices etc. Focus distribution locally, regionally or statewide near military installations.  The following is representative of what could be included:    

• Domestic Violence hotlines and Shelters  

• Lifeline and / Rape Crisis Centers and Hotlines   

• Mobile Crisis Units   

• Child Abuse Hotlines and Crisis Centers 

• Treatment and Counseling Services 

• Nearby Military Installation(s) – Family Advocacy Program contact information for each 

• Protect the Defenders Information for local centers or hotlines:  

• Department of Defense (“DoD”) Safe Helpline (877-995-5247) 

• Victim Compensation Assistance programs 

• Legal Services and Legal Aid  

• Court Advocacy Programs for Domestic and Sexual Violence 

• Local or State Coalitions Against Domestic and Sexual Violence  

Legislation:

Check out these GFWC legislative issues on the GFWC website.

The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grants provide federal funding that enables local organizations serving survivors of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, trafficking, and other crimes to provide counseling, case management, crisis hotlines, emergency shelters, and other community-based programs. Congress is finalizing its FY2021 Appropriations Bills and substantial funding cuts to VOCA are being considered, as is language to fix the formula. The VOCA formula must be fixed to avoid further financial crisis and the elimination of services. Congress must bolster the Crime Victims fund by ensuring federal financial penalties from deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements are deposited into the Crime Victims Fund and used to serve victims of crime.

Stop Online Child Sexual Exploitation. Urge the Senate to pass the EARN IT Act, S. 3398, which revises the legal framework governing the prevention of online sexual exploitation of children by removing liability protections for tech companies related to child sexual abuse materials.

This past April, the House of Representatives passed H.R.1585, the bipartisan Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019! Within a week of passage the bill was received in the Senate but has not moved since. This important legislation reauthorizes VAWA grant programs and makes modest yet vital enhancements to existing law.

Help to combat campus sexual assault today. Victims of sexual assault require specialized medical treatment and counseling services. Campus sexual assault survivors suffer high rates of PTSD, depression, and drug or alcohol abuse that can hamper both the ability to succeed in school and future employment. Educational equity for women and girls requires fair, responsive, fully developed campus sexual assault policies, knowledgeable administrators, and ultimately, an end to sexual violence on college campuses.

Success for Survivors Scholarship

Contact shelters in your area and make sure they have information about the Success for Survivors Scholarship! The scholarship application can be found on the GFWC website. Click the drop down menu under “What We Do”. The direct link to the application is success-survivors/ and the deadline for submitting scholarship applications is February 7, 2021.

The Starfish Project

The Honorary Chair of the GFWC Signature Program is Jenny McGee, Founder and CEO of

The Starfish Project. The Starfish Project is also a GFWC endorsed fundraiser and all proceeds from any products purchased from The Starfish Project through June 28, 2022 will go to GFWC’s Success for Survivors Scholarship! Check out the Starfish Project’s necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, and garments. Order your next favorite piece of jewelry today through this dedicated link (which is also on the Starfish Project GFWC web page)

Dates to Remember:

January

National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month – wear Blue

National Human Trafficking Day (January 11th) – wear Teal

February

Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month – wear Orange

Deadline for submitting Success For Survivors Scholarship applications (February 7th)

Like to Read?

Consider one of these books from our 8 focus areas!

Intimate Partner Violence – No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us by Rachel Louis Snyder

Child Abuse – God Made All of Me by Justin and Lindsay Holcomb

Elder Abuse - Wolf at the Door by Michael Hackard

Teen Dating – Rage by Julie Ann Peters

Campus Sexual Assault – We Believe You by Andrea Pino and Annie Clark

Violence Against Native American Women – Violence Against Indigenouse Women by Allison Hargreaves

Military Sexual Assault – Honor Betrayed: Sexual Abuse in the Military

by Dr. Mic Hunter 

Human Trafficking – The Slave Next Door by Kevin Bales and Ron Sodalter

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